Kitchen hatches are somewhat of a retro feature, but not so old-hat that many of us on the Ideal Home team remember them being a mainstay in our homes.
Kitchen trends always come back around, it's just a matter of 'how long' and in what variation, and of course, whether they'll stick for round two. Kitchen hatches were born in an area where closed-plan layouts were popular, helping to transport dishes to a formal dining room, but this isn't to say they don't have a role in modern, open-plan living.
Typically, a kitchen hatch is an opening on a wall that adjoins to a dining room or living room that acts as a pass-through. It usually features a small door to close off the hatch, but they can be permanently open, too.
A hatch hails from the time that our homes were closed-plan, and thus, carting dishes between rooms was a much more inconvenient task. It was also used as a connection point, allowing those cooking to engage socially with guests in other rooms.
'Mid-century homes often used built-in joinery to divide spaces in a way that felt both functional and elegant, and the kitchen hatch was part of that language. It created connection without losing the structure of the room,' explains Alan Drumm, cofounder and design director, Uncommon Projects.
The kitchen hatch has decreased in popularity in the last few decades, in part, due to the changing nature of our kitchen layouts. More homeowners have opted for open plan spaces, undergoing extensions to create one large communal space - but this desire might be changing. And thus, the kitchen hatch might be back in style.
'Today we are seeing a shift toward ‘broken plan’ layouts that echo this thinking. People still want openness, but not the exposure that defined the height of the open-plan era,' Alan continues. 'A hatch offers that balance, linking spaces for light and conversation while keeping the kitchen (and mess!) slightly separate.'
While open plan kitchens still remain a popular layout choice, as modern life gets increasingly hectic, there's something to be said about having a slight separation between cooking and living spaces. If you don't want to commit to a closed-plan layout, then the kitchen hatch offers the ultimate solution.
'Kitchen hatches are definitely seeing a revival, not in the way we traditionally knew them, but with a far more chic, design-led feel. Think reeded glass, integrated shelving and beautifully considered finishes. From an interiors perspective, as open-plan living has become so popular, a hatch offers a clever way to zone a space without fully closing it off,' explains Al Bruce, founder of Olive & Barr.
'Alongside the aesthetic benefits, it also serves a huge practical purpose: a hatch allows you to serve food and drinks to guests while hosting, without filling the room with unnecessary pots, pans, plates and glasses, which is especially valuable in smaller spaces,' Al continues.
A hatch doesn't have to look like what we remember in previous years, either. In 2026, we're seeing hatches reimagined as much wider openings that allow for much more connection than the traditional style.
It signifies a change in our own lifestyles and desires for our homes; connection comes first, but keeping clutter and cooking chaos contained is vital for a smooth-running kitchen.
As with any kitchen trend, evolution is key to making it work for the lives we live today. This new form of kitchen hatch solves a modern problem and works especially well in small kitchens where connection and separation are key in equal measures.
